So many holiday traditions are centered around food. And Easter is no exception!

When we were kids, Mom always made deviled eggs for Easter dinner. I think sometimes they were even made from the eggs we’d dyed earlier in the week. Of course, that was back in the days before eating food that had been left out would kill you.

Anyway, I loved to watch Mom make the eggs–popping out and mushing up the yolks then stuffing the mixture back in the whites. As I made deviled eggs for our supper yesterday, it occurred to me that I was using Mom’s recipe. Even though she never gave it to me. It’s one I got from watching her rather than from a recipe written out on a little card.

So, in the interest of this recipe hanging on a little longer, here’s how the Loudin-Thomas family makes deviled eggs.

NANCY ANNE’S DEVILED EGGS

1. Hard boil and peel 6 eggs (ideally from your henhouse or a neighbor’s).
2. Cut eggs in half and pop yolks out into a shallow bowl. Mush the yolks up with the tines of a fork, getting it as smooth as you can.
3. Add a dollop of mayonnaise. Mom used Miracle Whip. I now prefer Duke’s. Add a smaller dollop of yellow mustard. (I also add a good shake of dried mustard, but Mom didn’t.)
4. Use a spoon to collect pickle juice from a jar of sweet relish. Just the juice, although it’s not the end of the world if a few bits of pickle get in there. Use enough to moisten the egg yolks but not enough to make them wet.
5. Mix everything well with salt to taste.
6. Add the deviled yolks back to the whites and give the whole shebang a good grind of black pepper.
7. For goodness sake, don’t add paprika, pimentos, olives, or anything else weird.
8. Chill and enjoy!